Four ways your business is affected by the changing tides in marketing Did you hear? According to Forrester Research’s Customer Experience Predictions Report, 2012 is “the year of the customer.” Any successful business owner might argue that every year is the year…
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“When I started this business over 15 years ago, I chose Valpak® as my direct mail…
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You probably have a good idea who your customers are. But who is your best customer? It’s the single most important question that every business owner must answer. It’s also the first question I ask any business owner thinking of using a…
Lessons From The Kid Who Sold You Lemonade
The arrival of summer also means the classic Norman-Rockwell-type neighborhood lemonade stand will soon be popping up on street corners. Neighborhood kids will craft their homemade signs and carefully arrange the paper cups, cold pitchers of homemade lemonade and money jars on…
What I Learned From a Box Office Smash
A movie in theaters now continues to break box office records. As I hear about the film’s continued success, I got to thinking about it a little more, and realized that it actually had a lot to teach us about marketing a…
7 Ways to Turn Angry Customers into Your Best Customers
You work hard and your employees do, too. You provide quality products and services. You always put the customer first. But, for any business owner, there is bound to be a time when you are approached by an upset customer, whether he…
That’s Baloney! Common Advertising Myths that Hold You Back
“If you build it, they will come” and other myths that keep you from getting the market share you want I’ve heard it said that if you aren’t out there taking market share by advertising your business, you’re giving it to your…
Your Business Needs a Bad Guy
She may not always give you the answer you want, but she’ll give you the one you need to hear. She’s the one you can trust to tell you like it is. He may not be known for his tact or for…
Stop These 4 Causes of Business Stress
Plan Ahead. Sounds simple enough, right? But we both know all too well about “the best laid plans”. Some days you feel like a firefighter, putting out unexpected fires at work. A short meeting turns into a long one, an unexpected phone…
How to Plan Advertising Campaigns
Getting your marketing ducks in a row isn’t hard if you follow these tips It’s already April and whether you haven’t made a plan for the rest of the year, or it’s time to do a quick performance review of your existing…
How to Know If Discounting Is Right for You
Did you know that 70% of people think couponing is just as much a part of American life as apple pie? People expect discounts, and even prefer businesses that offer them. In fact, there are some items people refuse to buy without a…
14 Direct Marketing Terms You Need to Know – Part 2 The Digital Version
In Part 1 of my list of “Direct Marketing Terms You Need to Know,” I explained some key direct marketing buzzwords. It’s time to get the flashcards out again because here’s a list of terms that covers digital marketing. Sure, these terms…
5 Ways to Get Sales from Smartphones & Tablets
Most business owners we work with, like you (and me, for that matter), wear a lot of hats and look to folks with a variety of expertise to keep us informed. When it comes to your marketing hat, that’s what I’m here…
Happy Birthday, Dear Coupon!
One of the most creative and successful marketing strategies in… well…the history of sales strategies, is celebrating a big birthday this year. The coupon is turning 125 years old. What started out as a simple ticket to sample a product has evolved…
Avoid These 5 Mistakes that Kill Your Advertising
Along with hundreds of species of plants and animals, you can now add this to the list of endangered things. Empty space. Think about it. From stadium entrance portals to turnstiles to bench seats and everywhere in between, virtually every blank space…
Lessons Learned in the Business School of Hard Knocks
Back in the days of a Leave It To Beaver business world, trust was an assumed part of the package. There might be an inevitable snake-oil salesman, but everyone believed a deal was sealed with a handshake. If only it was that simple today, right? I…
Rdy 2 Txt Offrs? 11 Things to Consider First
Text messaging works when it comes to connecting with customers – so do it right My mobile phone is like an extension of my arm. As a business owner, my phone is always with me and when I’m not in the office…
4 Examples of Online Marketing Tactics that Boost Sales
You probably hear the phrase “online marketing” thrown around a lot these days. Some people say it’s the future of business and that if you’re not involved then you’re already behind. Others counter with a traditionalist view, saying that online marketing is…
14 Great Articles on Making This Year the Best Year
Naturally, there has been a lot of talk lately about New Year resolutions and how to make 2012 the best your business has had yet. And if your business is like ours, it is hard to find the time to look for…
12 Ideas You Might Never Think of to Revive Your Work Mojo in 2012
Feeling Stuck? Get out of the rut and get motivated It happens to the best of us. As a small business owner trying to do it all, by the end of the year, we run out of steam. But, the New Year…
6 Surefire Ways to Grow in 2012
Growth begins by sowing the seeds for a strong relationship with your customers Without customers, none of us would be in business. Without customers, there is no growth. It’s up to us as business owners to do everything we can to nurture…
How to Handle Negative Online Reviews
It happens. You work hard to make sure every customer has a great experience but every once in a while, a customer is upset. And inevitably they post it online with a bad review. Usually the review is pretty one-sided with important…
12 Toys to Buy for Your Business this Holiday Season
If you’re like me, you’re busy making your holiday list and checking it twice for everyone from your customers to your in-laws to your kids. But you’ve worked hard this year, so don’t leave yourself off the list. Here are some of…
The #1 Gift You Can Give Your Customers
It’s simple. At the end of the day, we all just want to be heard. Our ideas, concerns and suggestions. This is especially true when it comes to the relationship between a business and its customers. I recently read this in a…
How to Find & Keep Rock Star Employees
To the public, your front line employees ARE your brand. ‘Tis the season … for hiring (and sometimes re-hiring if the initial hire didn’t work out). If you’re like a lot of our clients, you’ve undoubtedly beefed up your staffing for the…
Social Media 101: 11 Things You Must Do Today to Market Your Business Online
Your guide to start using social media to market your business If you find yourself looking for advice on how to use social media to market your business, you’re not alone. Local businesses ask us all the time how to use social…
Think You Know Valpak?
Think all coupon-ers are cheapskates? Think again. All too often I meet business owners who have made marketing decisions based on a hunch or their own personal preferences and end up spending their marketing dollars in the wrong channels. I don’t want…
26 Ways to Plow Through Your To Do List
You have 1,440 minutes to spend today. Are you using them wisely? To say you’re busy is an understatement. Just like me, you’re running a business, which means you’re pulled in different directions, all day long. Priorities change daily, sometimes hourly. Working…